More than life itself
by AnimeTricia
Summary: Konoha has been destroyed, knowing the destructor, sakura gives chase. But she finds more than she expects.


She was supposed to come home to the bustling village of Konoha.

She was supposed to hear Naruto at the gate, shouting her name, pestering her to go eat ramen with him.

She was supposed to meet up with Ino to have their girl's night out.

She was supposed to see Kakashi reading his disgusting book, congratulating her on her first ANBU mission.

She was supposed to see Lee training his butt off on the training grounds.

She was supposed to report to Tsunade and find her in her drunken stupour.

She was supposed to go home to find her parents making out or acting lovey dovey before she asked them to get a room.

She was supposed to come home to anything but this.

Konoha was torn down, a dark cloud of misery surrounding it.

Naruto was severely injured and in the hospital.

Ino was working her butt off at the hospital healing people.

Kakashi was lying in the hospital, both legs broken and severe arm injuries.

Lee was in a coma like when he was a gennin.

Tsunade was running around like a mad woman gathering herbs for remedies.

Her parents were on the blink of life and death.

The first question which ran through her mind when she first stepped through the gates were 'What happened?'

It didn't take long before her questions were answered.

A horrible earthquake shook the town as a black fire swarmed at the left of the city, water were splashed on it but nothing seemed to decrease its intensity, only disappearing when it touched the ground, running out of fuel to burn on.

Itachi was dead, it couldn't be him.

It only left one person, Sasuke Uchiha.

She ran, her now long hair blowing in the wind as she jumped from tree to tree, giving chase to her target.

It was like a game of predator and prey. Just that it seemed more like the prey chasing the predator.

Finally he stopped, and Sakura stood on the tree branch right behind him.

"What do you want?" He asked. His velvet voice its usual monotone.

Sakura could only laugh.

It was such a surprise he didn't recognize her. But then again, she has dyed her hair to a different colour. she dyed it red, the colour of blood. In memory to those who died because of the male in front of her, him and his thirst for vengeance.

Her laughter was muffled from her mask, she wore a white mask, with patterns on it symbolizing grace, swiftness and deadly.

That was how she always killed her targets. Mesmerizing her targets before killing them, of course, not before getting the information she needed.

And that will be how the man in front of her was going to die.

In hearing her laughter, the dark-haired man turned, his onyx eyes showed annoyance.

"What are you laughing at?" He asked, annoyance coloring his tone.

"I'm surprised you don't recognize me," Sakura said, amusement clear as crystal in her tone.

She did something no ANBU was supposed to do in front of her targets.

She took her mask off.

She couldn't deny the smugness she felt when Sasuke saw her face. The resemblance to her 'former' self was uncanny, the only difference between both was the color and length of the hair, and eyes.

The Sakura before had eyes clear as emerald, almost like a beautiful shining jewel you could buy at the jewelry shops, those which cost a few grand, or maybe more, inside always a light which shone of happiness and hope.

That light has been squished and has died.

The Sakura now had eyes which were as hard as stone, the beautiful eyes which seemed to shine was now empty with everything except hate and lust, bloodlust that is. She could have been an exact replica of Gaara if he had grown up without ever meeting Naruto.

Except female. (a/n: PLEASE don't laugh at this part, main part is that they're similar… k?)

"Sakura?" He asked.

_His _eyes were now filled with shock and amusement, and his eyes even widened, though slightly.

"Yes? Sa-su-ke-_kun_?" The suffix a mockery to him, she still called him by that name despite everything he has done, it used to be filled with respect and love, but now the only thing that filled that name is of hate and loath.

"You've finally got your revenge no?" She spat. Her anger rising.

"Killing _how _many innocent people exactly?" She asked, her anger rising every minute.

"_Itachi_," Sakura started, while Sasuke winced "The lady whom we passed everyday after our gennin training, my _parents, _Lee now on the brink of death, even _Naruto_ is now on the bed, slipping in and out of consciousness."

"How much pleasure does this give you Sasuke!" She shouted, her eyes were boiling with hatred.

Her heart was aching with all the innocent deaths, those which have no connection what so ever with the Uchiha Massacre.

"More than you ever imagine," came his voice.

That once sentence gave Sakura adrenaline as she leaped from the tree, kunai in hand as she fought with Sasuke.

He attacked,

She dodged.

She punched,

He jumped.

They leaped from tree to tree, a wake of destruction in their paths.

Lightning bolts could be seen many times in the forest, and ground shaking crashes were heard. They used all nin-justsu, tai-jutsu, and even gen-jutsu (which none of them were caught in.)

Finally the battle ended when Sakura finally pinned Sasuke down, straddling him, his wrists captured with one of Sakura's hand, another holding a kunai by his throat. Both panting heavily to catch their breath.

It was easy to tell that Sasuke and Sakura had already run out of chakra, since Sasuke could no longer use his Sharingan and Sakura could no longer deliver 'ground-shaking' blows.

They seemed to be in that position for a long while, when finally Sasuke asked "What are you waiting for?"

The question seemed to take Sakura by surprise.

"I thought you have been waiting eagerly for this day to come, so that you can finally kill me and get revenge on me destroying Konoha."

It was a logical answer.

It was a logical reason.

It _was_ the correct reason.

But why wasn't she able to do it?

No matter how hard she tried to push her body forward to slice the kunai past his throat her body seemed to not be able to move.

Genjutsu? She asked herself.

She dug her fingernails deep inside her skin.

No.

Then why isn't she able to kill him! Sakura thought desperately.

"You have no idea how many times I wished we could be in this exact position." Sasuke said smirking.

"Just without the weapons." He continued. "And certainly not on a branch with a kunai on my throat." He chuckled.

He seemed amused, and every single word of him seemed to melt Sakura's heart.

It was only then she came to a realization.

She still loved him.

She still loved this cold-hearted bastard which burned konoha down,

the bastard which put Naruto on the hospital bed.

the bastard which has Tsunade running like a madwoman now.

the bastard which has just only melted her frozen heart with his confession.

When she came to that realization she released her grip on his wrists and brought the kunai away from his throat.

"Why?" she shouted at his, tears starting to flow down her face,

"Why is it that no matter what I do I can't kill you! Nor hate you!" She screamed! Her voice breaking at the last part.

Sasuke felt his heart seemed to ache, and that the only thing he wanted to do was comfort the woman he deeply loved in front of him.

Sakura on the other hand was ashamed of herself, unable to kill the traitor whom has brought Konoha to its doom.

She immediately brought the kunai to her chest, only for it to be stopped by a hand.

She lifted her head and her eyes met stern hard onyx ones.

"You'll not do anything _reckless_ nor _stupid_,"his voice stern and final.

Sakura swallowed her tears, "An ANBU is still a failed shinobi no matter how high his or her rank, and ANBU should make no mistakes. It'll only lead to their deaths."

"I made a mistake for keeping my flame for you." Her timid voice said.

Sasuke couldn't say that he didn't miss this side of her. Asking her to lift her head up and he gazed into her emerald orbs, drowning in them, he slowly decreased the distance between their lips.

It wasn't like fireworks like Sakura has always been hearing from the girls, it was more of gentle, loving and heartwarming, an action that without any words showed them their deep affection for each other.

Sakura wanted it to last, she really did. But it couldn't.

With her kunai still in her hand, she plunged it down into her stomach, where she was certain that she has hit an important blood vessel.

Sakura coughed blood out, her scarlet liquid staining Sasuke's face. Sasuke could only call out her name in fear, scared that he will leave her.

At Konoha hospital entrance.

"Someone get a docter now!" A loud voice boomed, it surprised Tsunade as she quickly rushed from her office, even more to her shock to see Sasuke holding a very pale Sakura. It only took her a second before she notice the Kunai sticking out from her abdomen.

Tsunade immediately started shouting out orders and the nurses and docter immediately rose from their shocked states and followed Tsunade's instructions.

It was a while until Tsunade immerged from the operation room,

"Her condition is stable now" She informed a very panicky Sasuke, Sasuke sighed of relief.

"Can I see her?" He asks as Tsunade nodds.

He enters the room to see Sakura with her usual pink hair fawning out around her like a halo, a mask around her mouth a nose to give her the oxygen she needs.

""You're gonna face a lot of trouble you know, after what you've done.," Tsuande asks.

Sasuke could only nod, his eyes unable to pry away from the angel in front of him.

"you really do love her don't you?" Tsuande said, her eyes softenening.

Sasuke nodded again.

"I love her more than life itself." He stated.

Tsunade could only smile.

Sakura, she thought, you really found yourself a good man.


End file.
